Speaker 1: Life is hard. It's not easy. Why because this isn't heaven.
Speaker 1: This is Earth. Everything on this planet's broken. Is there
Speaker 1: pleasure on Earth?
Speaker 2: Of course? There is?
Speaker 1: Are there happy times on Earth? Of course there are
Speaker 1: are there moments of joy on Earth.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker 1: Are there times when things are going great? Yes, But
Speaker 1: as a general rule, life is hard. You're not on
Speaker 1: easy street. Everything in life you have to struggle for,
Speaker 1: you have to work for. It's not easy. This is
Speaker 1: intentional and you're learning through the school of character development,
Speaker 1: the character that you're going to carry with you into heaven.
Speaker 1: The Bible says this, look here on the screen, it's
Speaker 1: not on your outline. Romans, Chapter eight. Since we are
Speaker 1: his children, God's children, we will share in his treasures.
Speaker 1: In other words, we get the inheritance. If you're in
Speaker 1: a family, you inherit the family treasures. For everything God
Speaker 1: gives to his son Christ is ours too. But here's
Speaker 1: the butt. But if we are to share his glory,
Speaker 1: we must also share his suffering. I don't like that part.
Speaker 1: Let's just cut that part out of the Bible. Okay,
Speaker 1: just forget that part. No, it says, if you're going
Speaker 1: to share in his glory, then you're going to share
Speaker 1: in his suffering. No no, God's no glory, no no pain,
Speaker 1: no gain. And they said this is part of life.
Speaker 1: Don't be surprised. And when life gets hard, you need
Speaker 1: to remember the reward. Romans eight twenty eight says in
Speaker 1: all things, God works for the good of those who
Speaker 1: love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Speaker 1: Number five, the fifth step in the marathon to maturity
Speaker 1: is I must gather a team to run with me.
Speaker 1: I gather a team to run with me. Now it's
Speaker 1: your race, and nobody can run your race, but people
Speaker 1: can support you in your race. And what is helpful
Speaker 1: is that in your life, at different stages of the race,
Speaker 1: you're going to need different people to run along with you.
Speaker 1: Nobody is going to run your entire life with you,
Speaker 1: because even if you married, there were years that you
Speaker 1: didn't know that person.
Speaker 2: But at different stages.
Speaker 1: In life, you have people running with you through life,
Speaker 1: helping you, encouraging you, supporting you. That's called a small group.
Speaker 1: If you don't have anybody running with you, you're.
Speaker 2: Not going to make it to the end of the race.
Speaker 1: You're going to give up, you're going to discourage and
Speaker 1: you're not going to become the woman you were intended
Speaker 1: to be. You're not going to become the man God
Speaker 1: created you to be. You need some other people in
Speaker 1: your life who were encouraging you, spurring you on, helping
Speaker 1: you run your race. You know, I've been to Africa
Speaker 1: many many times. As an old parable or proverb in
Speaker 1: Africa that says, to run fast, run by your self,
Speaker 1: but to run far, run with other people. Hebrews chapter
Speaker 1: ten says this, Let us consider how we may spur
Speaker 1: one another on to love and to good deeds. Spur
Speaker 1: that means encourage. How do we encourage each other to
Speaker 1: do the right thing? Let us not give up meeting together.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about a small group as some are in
Speaker 1: the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another
Speaker 1: as you see the day as approaching. Why do some
Speaker 1: people not make it to the finish line? Why do
Speaker 1: we get stuck? Why do we stop growing? Why do
Speaker 1: we settle for second best and less than God's plan
Speaker 1: in our life? Why do we cop out and give up?
Speaker 1: One reason?
Speaker 2: Fear?
Speaker 1: It's fear, and a lot of times we don't even
Speaker 1: realize how fearful we are. But what we think is
Speaker 1: I am so afraid of failing. I'm so afraid that
Speaker 1: I won't be able to measure up. I'm so afraid
Speaker 1: that I can't keep this commitment. I won't even try.
Speaker 1: And it is fear that causes you to miss God's
Speaker 1: best for your life. But when you belong to a
Speaker 1: small group, and that small group believes in you, and
Speaker 1: that small group loves you, then when you are beloved
Speaker 1: and you belong you can become and.
Speaker 2: They give you the courage to do things.
Speaker 1: Having a small group who loves you unconditionally gives you
Speaker 1: the courage to start the race, gives you the courage
Speaker 1: to stay in the race, gives you the courage to
Speaker 1: finish the race, and gives you the courage.
Speaker 2: To get up and start over.
Speaker 1: When you stumbled and really screwed it up, they say,
Speaker 1: you can do this, you can do it now.
Speaker 2: That is a safe place.
Speaker 1: When you get in a small group where people love
Speaker 1: you unconditionally.
Speaker 2: That doesn't happen overnight.
Speaker 1: A small group doesn't become safe in three weeks or
Speaker 1: five weeks or six weeks.
Speaker 2: It takes time.
Speaker 1: As you begin to learn to know these people that
Speaker 1: you begin to trust them. You know their weaknesses, they
Speaker 1: know yours. You begin to be more open. You say
Speaker 1: I really had a tough time today, and you begin
Speaker 1: to have more openness with them because you're safe. Then
Speaker 1: you can grow. I am in a very safe small group.
Speaker 1: But it didn't happen overnight.
Speaker 2: Okay. Number six, This is a big one.
Speaker 1: When you're running the race of life, you need to
Speaker 1: realize God is cheering.
Speaker 2: Me at every stage.
Speaker 1: I need to realize when I'm running a race of
Speaker 1: life to become the man or the woman God wants
Speaker 1: you to be, that God is cheering me at every
Speaker 1: stage of life. Some of you have the mistaken idea
Speaker 1: that God only smiles at you when you do things right,
Speaker 1: or that God.
Speaker 2: Only smiles that you want. Once you've reached the finish line.
Speaker 1: Once you've arrived at maturity, then God is going to
Speaker 1: like you. But until you become spiritually mature, God doesn't
Speaker 1: have any time of day for you. You're dead wrong. Nobody
Speaker 1: shames a baby for not knowing how to read, You dumb,
Speaker 1: dumb baby. You don't expect a baby to be able
Speaker 1: to read. Nobody shames a ten year old for not
Speaker 1: knowing how to drive or balance.
Speaker 2: A check book, You dumb ten year old.
Speaker 1: No, no, you know what is appropriate for that stage
Speaker 1: of growth. When my grandkids draw me a picture and
Speaker 1: they bring it to me, I say that's perfect. I'm
Speaker 1: not saying it's a Picasso. I'm saying it's perfect for
Speaker 1: that stage of their development. God smiles at you at
Speaker 1: every stage of your development. He's not waiting for you
Speaker 1: to get to a certain level of maturity before he
Speaker 1: says you're okay. You're already okay in his eyes, because
Speaker 1: Christ died for you. Nobody shames a baby for not
Speaker 1: being mature, and you need to not be ashamed at
Speaker 1: whatever stage of spiritual growth you are in right now.
Speaker 1: A lot of times we secretly thinking, man, I should
Speaker 1: be further along than this, given my age, I should
Speaker 1: be a lot more mature. I shouldn't have these problems anymore.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm this number of years old. Why am
Speaker 1: I still having this hang up? Why am I still
Speaker 1: having this problem? Why am I still having this difficulty?
Speaker 1: And we start shaming ourselves because we think God is
Speaker 1: ashamed of us. God is not ashamed of you. There's
Speaker 1: no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now,
Speaker 1: why is this important that you realize that God is
Speaker 1: cheering you at every stage of your life, because the
Speaker 1: major reason you don't become the man you're supposed to be.
Speaker 2: Is shame. Is shame.
Speaker 1: And what happens is, instead of admitting that we don't
Speaker 1: have it all together, we spend all of our time
Speaker 1: and energy trying to pretend that we have it all together. Philippians,
Speaker 1: Chapter three. In the Bible, Paul, this is the guy
Speaker 1: who wrote most of the New Testament part of the Bible.
Speaker 1: Paul says this, Saint Paul, I don't mean to say
Speaker 1: that I have already achieved these things or that I've
Speaker 1: already reached perfection. Women, this is the guy who wrote
Speaker 1: the Bible, and he's going, hey, I don't have it together.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying I've already achieved all this. I'm not
Speaker 1: saying I've already done all this. I'm not saying I'm perfect.
Speaker 2: He's not.
Speaker 1: He say, thank God, I'm not what I used to be,
Speaker 1: and I am what I am. Thank God, I'm not
Speaker 1: what I'm going to be.
Speaker 2: One day.
Speaker 1: I don't have it already achieved these things. I haven't
Speaker 1: already gotten the perfection. But he says, I keep working
Speaker 1: toward that day when I will finally be all that
Speaker 1: Christ saved me for and wants me.
Speaker 2: To be one day.
Speaker 1: I keep I'm going to be what God wants to be,
Speaker 1: the man God wants to be. One day, I'll be that,
Speaker 1: he says. I'm still not there. I'm still not all
Speaker 1: I should be. But I am focusing on all my
Speaker 1: energies on this one thing. I forget to pass. You know,
Speaker 1: all those dumb decisions. It really messed me up. It's gone.
Speaker 1: My past is passed. I'm going to forget the past.
Speaker 1: Forgetting the past, looking forward to what lies ahead. I
Speaker 1: strain to reach the end of the race and receive
Speaker 1: the prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling.
Speaker 1: There's that word, the third calling to become, is calling
Speaker 1: us up to heaven. So they just keep on going.
Speaker 1: I don't have it all together, but I keep straining ahead.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: God is cheering you at every stage of the race.
Speaker 1: Those of you are parents. Have you ever watched your
Speaker 1: child run a race at school?
Speaker 2: Yes?
Speaker 1: At what point did you start cheering them when they
Speaker 1: crossed the finish line? No, you start cheering your kids
Speaker 1: the moment they started the race, When the whistle was
Speaker 1: blown and the gun was shot, and they'd get out
Speaker 1: of the starting box.
Speaker 2: You're going, let's go, let's go, let's go. You could
Speaker 2: do it, You could do it.
Speaker 1: You're cheering them at every stage of the race.
Speaker 2: God is doing that with you right now.
Speaker 3: Hey, would you like to go deeper with Pastor Rick
Speaker 3: to discover God's purpose in your life? Well now you
Speaker 3: can with the video based study kit called What on
Speaker 3: Earth Am I here for? This life changing study is
Speaker 3: taught by Rick and includes a workbook and six video sessions.
Speaker 2: As you go through.
Speaker 3: These lessons, you'll embark on a journey of discovery to
Speaker 3: answer life's most fundamental question, What on Earth am I
Speaker 3: here for? You'll learn that it's only in God that
Speaker 3: we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose,
Speaker 3: our significance, and our destiny.
Speaker 2: Every other path.
Speaker 3: Leads to a dead end. This resource is packed with
Speaker 3: biblically centered principles and is perfect for personal or small
Speaker 3: group study. So be sure to request this study kit
Speaker 3: when you give a gift to Daily Hope to help
Speaker 3: share the hope of Jesus with a hurting world. We'll
Speaker 3: send it to you today as our way of saying thanks.
Speaker 1: God is sharing you every moment, and when you stumble,
Speaker 1: he cheers more. Come on, I know you can do it.
Speaker 1: I know you can do it. I believe I made you,
Speaker 1: I created you, I died for you.
Speaker 2: I love you. I've got to put my spirit in
Speaker 2: your life. And he cheers even louder. You need to
Speaker 2: never forget that truth number seven.
Speaker 1: If you're gonna make it to the finish line and
Speaker 1: be the woman God wants you to be, be the
Speaker 1: man God wants you to be. I must take every
Speaker 1: step with purpose, Take every step with purpose. Now, I'll
Speaker 1: tell you I didn't do this for a lot of
Speaker 1: years in my life. But I don't want to waste
Speaker 1: any step anymore. I don't want to waste any energy anymore.
Speaker 1: I don't want to waste any word anymore. I don't
Speaker 1: want to waste any breath, any step because I don't
Speaker 1: know how many steps I have left.
Speaker 2: You don't either. You don't know if you're going to
Speaker 2: live a week, a month, a year, or what. You
Speaker 2: don't know.
Speaker 1: So whatever steps you're going to take, you better do
Speaker 1: them on purpose. And you need to be more disciplined,
Speaker 1: and you need to be more self controlled, and you
Speaker 1: need to take every step and every moment in your
Speaker 1: life with purpose. Now, if you're gonna become the person
Speaker 1: God wants you to be, that's the third calling in life.
Speaker 1: I'll be honest with you, there are some things you're
Speaker 1: gonna have to deny yourself. You're not gonna get to
Speaker 1: do everything that everybody else does, because if you.
Speaker 2: Want to be God's woman, God's man.
Speaker 1: You want to be what you're created to be, you
Speaker 1: just can't go out and do everything what everybody else does.
Speaker 1: As I said, you can't follow their plan and your
Speaker 1: planing God's plan all the same time, anybody who trains
Speaker 1: for the Olympics gives up an enormous amount of things
Speaker 1: to be a winner. They eat a certain way, they
Speaker 1: go to bed at a certain time, they don't do
Speaker 1: certain things, And you're gonna have to deny yourself. You
Speaker 1: just can't tack on God's purpose to what you want
Speaker 1: to do with your life. It's planned A or plan B.
Speaker 1: And so you have to say, I'm gonna have to
Speaker 1: be disciplined. I'm gonna have to take every step on purpose.
Speaker 1: Saint Paul, you have to be purpose driven. Look at
Speaker 1: this next verse one Corinthians nine. All athletes practice strict
Speaker 1: self control. In other words, to be a win you
Speaker 1: get in the Super Bowl, you gotta discipline yourself.
Speaker 2: They do it.
Speaker 1: They do all this self discipline, self control. They do
Speaker 1: it to win a prize. It'll fade away, But we
Speaker 1: do it for an eternal prize in heaven. So I
Speaker 1: run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.
Speaker 1: I'm not like a boxer who misses his punches. Paul says,
Speaker 1: I'm way beyond the years of shadow boxing. If I'm
Speaker 1: gonna take a punch, I'm gonna make sure it lands.
Speaker 1: I'm not just out there beating the air. I'm not
Speaker 1: just shadow boxing. I'm not wasting my time. I'm not
Speaker 1: wasting my life. If I'm gonna land a punch, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna make sure it has contact. And if I'm going
Speaker 1: to take a step, I'm gonna make sure it has
Speaker 1: a step of purpose in my life. That's how you
Speaker 1: get to the finish line. Hebrews, the Book of Hebrews,
Speaker 1: gives us more advice. Back to chapter twelve Hebrews twelve,
Speaker 1: Verse thirteen, twelve and thirteen says this because God knows
Speaker 1: you're going to get tired in the marathon of life.
Speaker 1: He says lift up your tired hands then and strengthen
Speaker 1: your trembling knees. In other words, when you feel like
Speaker 1: I can't go on, I'm out of energy, I'm out
Speaker 1: of gas, he says, you just ask God for more strength.
Speaker 1: Keep walking when you're going through hell, what do you do?
Speaker 1: You keep going. You don't want to stay in hell.
Speaker 1: When you're going through hell. You keep walking. When you're
Speaker 1: walking through hell, you keep walking. And he says, keep
Speaker 1: walking on straight paths, circle straight paths. We'll come back
Speaker 1: to that. So that your lame foot circle that lame
Speaker 1: foot will come back to that may not be disabled,
Speaker 1: but instead be healed. In the race of life, we
Speaker 1: all run with a limp. Every one of us have limps.
Speaker 1: I just said it early. You have some emotional limps.
Speaker 1: Your emotion don't always work right. You have some relational limps.
Speaker 1: You have some weaknesses in your relationships. You have some
Speaker 1: physical limps. Your body doesn't always work right. You have
Speaker 1: some spiritual limps. You're not as strong spiritually as you
Speaker 1: could be. You have some financial limps. You don't have
Speaker 1: the money that you could have.
Speaker 2: You have all.
Speaker 1: Kinds of limps. Everybody walks through life with a limp. Now,
Speaker 1: if I have a natural limp, i'd better stay on
Speaker 1: the straight path, because if I get on a crooked
Speaker 1: path with a natural limp, I'm more likely to stumble.
Speaker 1: And if I get on a rocky path with a
Speaker 1: natural limp, I'm more likely to fall. If I get
Speaker 1: on a crooked path and a mountain path, then I'm
Speaker 1: gonna stumble because I have natural limp, a bent to fall.
Speaker 1: Now there's one last step, and this is my favorite
Speaker 1: one of all.
Speaker 2: It touches me deeply.
Speaker 1: The a thing that the Bible teaches us about the
Speaker 1: race of life is this, I need to realize that
Speaker 1: what I don't finish, God will. What I don't finish,
Speaker 1: what I don't get finished in my life, God will.
Speaker 1: I was created to become like Christ. But if I
Speaker 1: don't get there and there's still some remaining parts left,
Speaker 1: God is going to complete the character development in my
Speaker 1: life one day, and He's going to finish it and
Speaker 1: bring me to perfection, bring me to completion into heaven.
Speaker 1: Philippians chapter one says this, this is a great promise.
Speaker 1: I am sure that God, who began the good work
Speaker 1: within you, will continue his work.
Speaker 2: It's his work.
Speaker 1: He will continue his work in you until it is
Speaker 1: finally finished.
Speaker 2: Circle that finally finished.
Speaker 1: On that day when Christ Jesus comes back again, Friends,
Speaker 1: what a day that is going to be. What a
Speaker 1: day when you either go into heaven or he comes
Speaker 1: here either one. What a day that's gonna be. Because
Speaker 1: on that day when you see Jesus Christ, you don't
Speaker 1: see him right now face to face.
Speaker 2: He's invisible to you.
Speaker 1: But when you see him face to face, every mirror
Speaker 1: neuron in your body, in your brain is gonna start
Speaker 1: go on overload mirror neuron and you are going to
Speaker 1: be transformed to become like him. All your weakness is gone,
Speaker 1: all your limps gone, all your fears and faults gone,
Speaker 1: all your failures and frailties gone, all of your insecurities gone,
Speaker 1: all of your blemishes and flaws gone. And you will
Speaker 1: be transformed into perfection one day and those mirror neurons
Speaker 1: are going to be un overload, and you will reflect
Speaker 1: the glory of the Lord.
Speaker 2: That is such good news. I'm not.
Speaker 1: Who I ought to be, You're not who you ought
Speaker 1: to be. We're not a fraction of what we could be.
Speaker 1: But God says, that's okay. I'm taking my time. I'm
Speaker 1: cheering you at every stage. You just take every step
Speaker 1: with purpose, because one day I'm going to finish what
Speaker 1: you didn't finish, and you're going to be changed boom
Speaker 1: instantly into mind likeness if you have put yourself in
Speaker 1: my hands first John three to two. It's an amazing promise.
Speaker 1: Dear friends, dear dear friends, we are already God's children,
Speaker 1: and we can't even imagine what we will be like.
Speaker 2: When Christ returns, but we do know.
Speaker 1: That when he comes, we will be like him, for
Speaker 1: we shall see Him as he really is. And what
Speaker 1: I don't finish in my lifetime, God is going to finish.
Speaker 1: I am so so glad for that. In this race,
Speaker 1: you may have stumbled, We've all been there. In this race,
Speaker 1: you may have been sidelined, We've all been there. But
Speaker 1: your race is not over. It's not your heart's still beaten. See,
Speaker 1: your race isn't over. And it's never too late to
Speaker 1: get back up and get in the race again. And
Speaker 1: as your pastor, I am committed to helping you cross
Speaker 1: the finish line. It's never too late, You're never too old.
Speaker 1: It's time to get back up and get in the race.
Speaker 1: That's bower heads. Now each week I give you one
Speaker 1: or two baby steps as a suggestion, and I don't
Speaker 1: know what baby step you're going to take out of
Speaker 1: this message, but I want to begin with a prayer,
Speaker 1: and I want you to follow me in this prayer. Say,
Speaker 1: Dear God, just say that in your mind. Dear God,
Speaker 1: for the first time today, I have realized that you
Speaker 1: are cheering me at every stage in the race, and
Speaker 1: when I stumble, you don't condemn me. You cheer me
Speaker 1: more that you believe in me. I want to take
Speaker 1: every step with purpose. I don't want to waste one
Speaker 1: day of the rest.
Speaker 2: Of my life. I've done too much of that.
Speaker 1: I want to accept the third purpose of my life,
Speaker 1: my calling to become like Jesus, and I'm willing to
Speaker 1: take these steps. I want to lay off, strip off
Speaker 1: the stuff that doesn't matter in my life, the stuff
Speaker 1: that slows me down, holds me back, especially the sins
Speaker 1: that trip me up. I want to simplify my life
Speaker 1: and focus on the particular race that you have given
Speaker 1: to me. I'm so grateful that you're patient with me.
Speaker 1: Help me to not get into hurry. I want to
Speaker 1: be an oak tree, not a mushroom, and so I
Speaker 1: want to spend time with you so I can become
Speaker 1: like you. I want to find a special place to
Speaker 1: spend a few minutes every day focusing on Jesus so
Speaker 1: that I can be a mirror that reflects your love
Speaker 1: to others. And Lord, when it gets hard and I'm
Speaker 1: winded and I feel like giving up, help.
Speaker 2: Me to remember the reward.
Speaker 1: Help me to remember, Jesus, all that you went through
Speaker 1: and you never gave up.
Speaker 2: Thank you make me strong.
Speaker 1: Give me the support, keep me from falling as you've promised.
Speaker 1: Help me to find a team to run with me
Speaker 1: at this next stage of my life. I want to
Speaker 1: get in a small group. I want to build a
Speaker 1: safe place for others. I want to spur others on,
Speaker 1: and I want them to spur me on. Most of all,
Speaker 1: You're Jesus. I thank you that what I don't finish,
Speaker 1: you will, and that one day all of those things
Speaker 1: that I dislike about myself are going to be removed
Speaker 1: from my life. And when I look at you and
Speaker 1: those mirror neurons start flashing, I will become like you.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you that I don't have to stay
Speaker 1: the same. Thank you that you give me the power
Speaker 1: to change. Jesus Christ, I give you as much as
Speaker 1: I know how, every part of my life. If you've
Speaker 1: never done this before, say Jesus Christ, come into my
Speaker 1: life and make yourself real to me.
Speaker 2: If you said that, say Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: Today, I rededicate my life to you, and I thank
Speaker 1: you that you will finish whatever I don't complete.
Speaker 2: In your name, I pray amen.
Speaker 3: Hey, would you like to go deeper with Pastor Rick
Speaker 3: to discover God's purpose in your life? Well now you
Speaker 3: can with the video based study kit called What on
Speaker 3: Earth Am I here For? This life changing study is
Speaker 3: taught by Rick and includes a workbook and six video sessions.
Speaker 3: As you go through these lessons, you'll embark on a
Speaker 3: journey of discovery to answer life's most fundamental question, what
Speaker 3: on Earth am I here for? You'll learn that it's
Speaker 3: only in God that we discover our origin, our identity,
Speaker 3: our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny.
Speaker 2: Every other path leads to a dead end.
Speaker 3: This resource is packed with biblically centered principles and is
Speaker 3: perfect for personal or small group study. So be sure
Speaker 3: to request this study kit when you give a gift
Speaker 3: to Daily hope to help share the hope of Jesus
Speaker 3: with a hurting world. We'll send it to you today
Speaker 3: as our way of saying thanks.